Gauge



March 27, 1945. HEYMAN I 2,372,493

GAUGE Filed Jan. 20, 1944 INVENTOR MAN HEYMAN I BY I r v ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT 'QFFICE GAUGE V Herman Heyman, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application January 20, 1944, Serial No. 519,005

4 Claims.

This invention relates to gauges for printini presses in general.

Among the objects of the present invention it is aimed to provide a simple construction for quickly and expeditiously attaching gauges to the platens of printin presses which will dispense with the necessity of using the-gauge pins heretofore extensively used. With the gauge pins heretofore extensively used the tympan sheet was first se-' cured in place on the platen and then the gauge pins secured to the sheet by piercing the same. While the skilled printer after years of experience wa enabledto secure these gauge pins to the tympan sheet satisfactorily to suit the ordinary precision required in hand fed printing press work, it was by no means an easy task for the apprentice or new man accurately to position these gauge pins. Furthermore, as a result of use the holes formed in the tympan sheet by the gauge pin became larger with use and consequently the tympan sheets had to be frequently replaced.

According to the present invention, a tympan Fig. 4 is a section onthe line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmental plan showin the attachment for supporting a side gauge. In the embodiment shown, there is provided a printing press platen i equipped with the usual U shaped fastening strips 2 and 3 for securing the typman sheet 4 in place.

The present invention consists essentially of the device now to be described. In the present instance there is provided a flexible strip of metal 5, preferably composed of a suitable rust-proof steel. Excellent results have been obtained when this flexible strip 5 is not over one-half inch in width and about .025 inch in thickness. Preferably to one end of the strip 5 there i secured an L shaped casting 5, the portion '1 being shown as ,riveted to the strip 5 and the lip B be ng provided with a screw-threaded opening to receive the threaded shank of the set screw or fastening sheet once secured to the platen would last inwith the gauges slidably mounted thereon, so that i for an adjustment, laterally of the platen it will only be necessary to slide the gauges along the flexible strip and for an adjustment longitud nally of the platen it will only be necessary to change the position of the flexible strip. a

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a flexible support adjustably secured to the platen and gauges adjustably mounted on the support for positioning the advanced edge of the sheet to be printed, and an adjustably mounted device on said support associated with a gauge or gauges for positioning one side of the sheet to be printed.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the invention will appear from the plan screw 9. To the other end of the strip 5 there is secured a similar L shaped casting ill having its portion ll riveted to the upper face of the strip 5 and the portion 12 extending down parallel to the outer face of the portion 13 of the strip 3. In the portion 12 of the casting Hi, there is preferably provided a screw threaded opening to receive the threaded shank M of the fastening screw 15. These fastening screw 9 and I5 in the present in stance have wing heads IS with openings I! therein. In some instances it may be desirable to provide nuts 18 to engage either the outer or inner faces of the portions 8 and H. In the present instance the nuts i8 engage the outer faces of the portions 8 and I2.

On the strip'5 there are slidably mounted one or more gauge devices I9, two being shown in the present instance.

The gauge device, see Fig. 3, consists essentially of a plate 20 having an upturned flange 2| at its rear end intermediate the two extensions 22 and 23. At its front edge this plate has an upturned flange 24 intermediate the extensions 25 and 26. The extensions 25 and 25 extend forwardly of the flange :24 and have at their front ends the upturned flanges Hand 28. These flanges 21 and 28 in the use of this device constitute the stops against which the advanced edge of the sheet being printed rests. The upturned flanges 2| and '24, on the other hand. constitute abutments for the fastening means which in the present instance consist primarily of a U shaped yieldable wire 29 in the shape of a hair pin. The two legs 30 and 3| of the wire 29 extend through openings in the flanges 24 and 2!, a shown. These openings are sufficiently close to the main web portion 32 of the plate 20 so that, especially when the legs 3i! and 3| are bowed, as shown in Fig. 4, the bowed portions of the legs 30 and El will frictionally engage the upper face of the strip when the gauge device is mounted upon the strip 5 as shown in Figure 1, that is, with the web portion 32 disposed adjacent the lower face of the strip 5, and the flanges 24 and 2! adjacent the edges of the strip 5, and the wire 29 extending through the openings in the flanges 24 and El so that its bowed legs 30 and 3| will engage the upper face of the strip 5.

The plates 20 are preferably composed of a.

thin durable metal such as spring steel or the like. Excellent results have been obtained when this metal does not exceed .025 inch in thickness.

The distance between the portions 8 and I2 when secured to the strip 5 is sufficient to extend beyond the width of the platen I and its fastening strips 2 and 3 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lower faces of the rivets connecting the castings 6 and ID to the strip 5 are preferably so accurately finished that the lower face of the strip '5 will snugly engage the upper face of the tymp'an.

of the fastening strip 2 or adjacent the free edges 35 and 36 of the platen 9 intermediate the fasten- 7 ing strips 2 and 3.

The .wires 29 not only serve frictionally to anchor the gauges E9 in position on the strip 5, but also serve as guides that may be adjustable. As an instance, when the printing is disposed close to the advanced edge of the sheet it may be desirable to have the wire 253 assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, whereas when the printing at the advanced edge of the sheet is remote therefrom, in the interest of affording a more extended guide, the wire 29 may be slidably positioned to assume the dash and dot line position shown in Fig. 3.

In view of the foregoing, it is obvious that the two gauges l9 shown in Figure 1 may be moved to assume different positions on the strip 5 according to the location of the sheetto be printed,

, and similarly the strip 5 in turn may quickly and expeditiously be positioned to assume different positions on the platen i by the single manipulation of, the screw !5, initially to free the strip 5 before positioning the same and then again to secure the same at the new position determined. The opening I! in the wing head I6 of the screw I5 is provided to enable the printer to use any suitable tool or even a nail to quickly and expeditiously secure the screw 55 in position.

In some instances, it may also be desirable to provide gauges for engaging and positioning one side of the sheet to be printed. In such cases, the arm 31 i provided, which consists preferably of a metal strip of .025 inch in thickness and of some suitable durable metal such as spring steel 01' the like, This arm 3'! in the present instance is provided'with two pairs of projections 38, 39-

and 48, 4|, bent therefrom to engage the opposite edges of the strip 5, the projections 38 and 33 engaging the front edgev and the projections 48 and M engaging the rear edge. The arm 31 is also provided with an opening d2 of about one-eighth inch in diameter, sufficient to clear and permit one of the heads or buttons 43 formed on the strip 5 to pass therethrough. These buttons 43 are undercut as shown in Fig. 2, and when one of these buttons 43 extends through the opening 42 in the strip 31, the undercut will clear the upper face of the strip 31 to receive the hook portion 44 of the hook 45 pivotally connected at 46 to the upper face of the strip 31. The strip 31, similar to the strip 5, is about one-half inch in width so that it may receive a gauge device such as the gauge device I9 described. When a gauge device It is mounted on the trip 31, in order to function as positioning means for the side of the sheet to be printed, the stops 21 and 28 preferably face inwardly as shown in Figure 1.

Excellent results have been obtained when the heads 43 are spaced about three-eighths inch from one another, and also when these head 43 are only formed on the left hand end of the strip 5 as shown in Figure 1. It is believed desirable to have the heads mounted on this left hand end of the strip 5 since practice has shown that the average printer positions the sheet to be printed with respect to the left hand edge and of course upper or advanced edge.

It is, of course, conceivable that; a printer who is physically handicapped might prefer to have the heads 43 on the right hand end of the strip 5 with a view to positioning the sheet by means of its right hand edge and advanced edge instead of by means of its left hand edge and advanced edge.

While in some instances it may be sufficient in the interest of speed to manipulate only one wing head Iii-and a nut I8 to reposition the strip 5, it is, of course, obvious that cases may arise where it may be desirable to manipulate the Wing heads of both screws 9 and I5.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made to the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: A

1. The combination of a printing press platen, a supporting flat strip of metal, means for connecting the strip to said platen, and gauges adjustably mounted on said strip, each of said gauges including a plate engaging the lower face of said strip, upwardly extendin projections at the front of said plate to form positioning stop faces for the sheet to be printed, upwardly extending flanges on said plate clearing the front and rear edges of said supporting strip, there being openings formed in said flanges, and a U shaped wire with its shanks extending through the'openings in said flanges, the shanks being bowed to frictionally engage the upper face of the supporting strip frictionally to anchor the gauge in position on said supporting strip.

2. The combination of a printing press platen, a supporting strip, means for removably connecting said strip to said platen, and. gauges slidably mounted on said strip each of said gauges including a plate engaging the lower face of the strip, portions of said plate forming positionin stops, other portions of said plate forming abutments, and a U shaped wire extending through said abutements and frictionally anchoring the gauge to said strip, the wire being movably mounted in said abutments to enable its looped end to extend a greater or less distance according. to the free margin of the sheet to be printed.

3. The combination of a printing press platen, a supporting flat strip of metal, means for connecting the strip to said platen, and gaugesadjustably mounted on said strip, each of said gauges including a plate engaging the lower face i of said strip, upwardly extending projections at 4. The combination of a printing press platen, a supporting strip, means for connecting said strip to said platen, and gauges slidably mounted on said strip each of said gauges including a plate engaging the lower face of the strip, portions of said plate forming positioning stops,

other portions of said plate forming abutments,

and means mounted on said abutments and frictionally anchoring the gauge to said strip.

HERMAN HEYMAN. 

